Gerwyn Price is out of the PDC World Championship after missing 42 darts at double in his defeat to Chris Dobey.
Price came into the contest having produced some better form after a break from the sport, and looking to make a deep run at Ally Pally.
PDCPrice was beaten by Dobey after struggling to punish the Geordie on the doubles[/caption]
The ‘Iceman’ came up against scoring supremo Chris Dobey, who has had a fine year and was looking to reach the semi-final stage for the first time in his career.
He looked full of confidence as he made his walk-on and graced the oche with some real momentum, as he crashed into a 2-0 lead in sets.
But incredibly, Dobey took control of the match and began to show some real fine form, drawing things even at two sets apiece.
And incredibly Price’s Geordie rival cruised to a 5-2 win, completing a remarkable reversal to reach the career milestone for the first time.
Price simply had double trouble up on stage and found himself out of this year’s World Championship.
He had a finishing rate of just 26.79 per cent, missing 42 checkout darts of his 57 attempts.
Dobey will now face the winner of Michael Van Gerwen‘s clash with Callan Rydz for a place in the final and a chance to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Dobey said after the win: “It’s definitely at the top.
“Getting over that defeat last year and getting over the line this year means a lot.
“I’ve never been so nervous throwing a winning double than I have today.”
PDCDobey was simply the more clinical during his epic comeback[/caption]
On the prospect of facing fellow Geordie Callan Rydz in the semi-final he added: “Yeah it would be absolutely brilliant.
“To have two lads from Bedlington in the semi final of the World Championships, it’s amazing.
“I do believe he can do it and I just hope he turns up today.”
It is a problem that plagued Price during the entirety of the tournament hitting 55 of his 174 doubles at a rate of 32 per cent.
But despite being defeated, he will be happy with where his overall game has returned to, having previously admitted to falling out of love with the sport.
Price stormed into an early lead, but was yet again dragged back into a back and forth affair, a pattern that had unfolded with regularity in the tournament.
And Dobey produced some sensational arrows to level the contest and the momentum felt with him.
He raced into a 4-2 lead, and in the seventh set had a mammoth five match darts but nerves jangled.
And he missed all five, with Price able to bring the crowd back into the contest by pinning his double at last to make the contest 4-3.
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